jazz education
chance of attracting and retaining that student.
Street vs. Academic Knowledge
Another area I feel is important when “bridging the gap” is being sure you in- clude enough “street knowledge” (for lack of a better term) when dealing with your students. The person who taught me the difference between a speaker and instru- ment cable was a guitar salesman at my local music store. While this knowledge might not have been as academic as the use of augmented 6 chords, it did keep me from burning out quite a few amplifiers. Sound reinforcement, music business, ba- sic contract law, marketing and technology should be, and are, included in many com- prehensive high school music programs. There should be a push to ensure that this type of “real world” training is integrated into school music programs. It not only helps to ensure a complete, comprehensive educational experience for the students but will also help “bridge the gap” and expand our student base.
Utilizing the Talent You Have
Perhaps the best advice I could give on the subject of “bridging the gap” is for music teachers to utilize the talent they have. This might require talking to your students and finding out as much as pos- sible about the entire student body of your school, not just those in your program. If the best musician in your school is a gui- tarist, pianist, set drummer, or dulcimer player, find a way to include them in your next program. Find an arrangement, or better yet, take some time, dust off your arranging skills, and write a chart using the players you have. Try not to be constantly restricted by instrumentation, embrace change and feature something new. Reach out to the community and see if there is a non-traditional musician of some type that you could feature at your next event. The possibilities are endless.
These tips and suggestions for “bridging the gap” are certainly not comprehen- sive or exhaustive in any way. They are merely suggestions for expanding things
Wisconsin School Musician
to include as many students as possible in an already worthwhile program. These types of changes in thinking should begin at the university level so young teachers are trained not only in the X’s and O’s of music but are, at the very least, exposed to as many non-traditional elements as pos- sible. In an era where we are all fighting for fiscal and philosophical support we
must do everything we can to ensure we are moving forward and keeping music education vital and alive well into the 21st century.
Doug Syme is director of jazz studies and department chair at Milwaukee High School of the Arts.
Email:
symedw@milwaukee.k12.wi.us
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